This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net
Last week I showed you the M59 chasis from NZXT and promised reviews on a couple of their other new cases. Well you can stop holding your breath, as today I’ll be reviewing the Beta EVO Mid Tower Chassis. This is one of their sub-$50 cases, which makes it more of a budget offering. When you start getting into that price range, many cases tend to be lacking in both features and quality. Lets see if that’s the case here.
Features
Being the budget case that it is, it’s not surprising to see a general lack of extra features. You’ll find punched-out holes for cable management, as well as one beneath the CPU (just as the M59 had) and holes for accommodating a liquid cooling setup. You’ll also find room for 6 fans (only one is included) and a screwless installation solution for your optical and hard drives.
First Look
Once again, the budget case won’t win any awards in the looks department. Granted, some people prefer more of the plain black look, with nothing flashy going on. If you’re one of those people, then this will be great for you. You aren’t going to see a side window, or fancy LED lights here. It’s something nice and clean that would look good sitting in an office or at your house. Surprisingly, the interior is also all black, despite the fact that it isn’t visible without the side being removed.
Installation
Just as with the M59, the pre-cut holes work wonders for cable management. Even though there’s no window showing of the inside of your PC, it’s still nice to have all of your cables out of the way. The same hole is also there to access your CPU bracket in the event that you want to change out your heatsink/fan for something a little more heavy-duty.
NZXT has chosen to go with a screwless installation design for your optical and hard drives. I’m not a huge fan of them in general, but I don’t have any specific complaints about their screwless solution. It works well, and does make it fairly simple to install and remove components. The Beta EVO is also setup for a bottom-mounted power supply for better airflow. There is also a removeable air filter for the PSU.
One of the biggest issues I tend to see with budget cases is the quality of the material used. I’ll commend NZXT for not sacrificing quality on this case. You won’t find a sharp edge in the case, and the metal used is thick and sturdy. I always say that you can tell the quality of a case by how heavy it is. I don’t know the exact weight, but it feels solid when you pick it up.
Verdict
The Beta EVO Classic Series Mid Tower chassis is a good solid budget case. If you aren’t looking for anything fancy and don’t want to spend any more than you have to, then this $49 case might be what you need. However, For the $10 difference, I think that you’d be much happier with the M59. It’s got more in the looks department, and you’ll find things like an SSD bracket and extra fans.
[ NZXT ] VIA [ GamerFront ]
